Handwheel



Dec. 5, 1939. F. J. sToLPE 2,182,413

HANDWHEEL Filed Aug. 18, 1937 Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES HANDWHEEL Frederick J. Stolpe, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Poor` & Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application August 18, 1937, Serial No. 159,753

1 Claim.

This invention relates to handwheels, particularly for use on hand brake mechanisms of rail- Way freight cars, although readily capable of Various other uses, and has for one of its objects to provide a handwheel which is strong and durable and yet is of very materially reduced weight as compared with known handwheels, whereby tendency of the same to become loose on the shaft to which it is applied, and whereby wear on the shaft bearings, is correspondingly reduced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handwheel including a hub, preferably of forged steel, which is manufactured as an element separate from the wheel proper and which has the l5 wheel proper welded, riveted or otherwise suitably fastened thereto, thereby to provide for obtaining far greater accuracy in the hub construction than has been possible heretofore under the usual practice Vof casting the hub as an integral 20 part of the wheel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handwheel having a novel rim and web construction combining strength with light weight and affording comfortable hand engaging portions 25 and mger accommodating openings designed to avoid cramping of the fingers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handwheel embodying a novel design to prevent an operator from passing his hand through the 30 wheel with possible resultant injury, and to discourage the use of a club for turning the wheel by rendering the use of a club substantially impossible.

Another object of the invention is to provide 35 for mounting the present handwheel on the operating shaft of a well known type of brake gear very closely adjacent to the outer bearing of the shaft, thus to further relieve such bearing of strain and wear.

40 With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of features as will be hereinafter more 45. fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and defined in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

50 Figure 1 is a front elevation of a handwheel constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are detail sections on the lines 55 3-3 and 4 4, respectively, of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, rst with particular reference to the form of the invention y illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, it will be observed 5 that the present handwheel comprises, as usual,

a wheel proper, designated generally as A, and

a hub designated generally as B, but that, as distinguished from the general prior practice of casting the wheel proper and the hub in one- 10 piece, the present wheel proper and hub are separately formed parts rigidly united with each other, either by welding as shown, or in any other suitable or desired manner.

According to the general prior practice of casting the hub and the-wheel proper of a handwheel in one piece it is difficult and practically impossible, due to warpage and other causes, to obtain accurate hub measurements and uniformity as between a series of successively produced wheels. Therefore, the usual one-piece cast handwheel does not, as a rule, accurately fit the shaft to which it is applied, which is one reason why it tends soon to become loose on its shaft. By separately forming the hub and the Wheel proper the hub may practicably be forged to exact measurements. It thus possesses greater strength than the usual `cast hub and will accurately flt its shaft, so that any tendency of the same to become loose because of an inaccurate t is eliminated.

The present Wheel proper A instead of being cast in accordance with prior general practice, is pressed from sheet steel in a manner to impart great stiiness thereto. It may, therefore, be formed from relatively thin sheet steel with a material saving in metal and especially with a considerable saving in weight, without sacrifice in strength, as compared with the usual cast handwheel. This is quite important, particularly regarding the saving in weight when the Wheel is employed under conditions where it is subjected to being laterally shifted, as, for example, upon the brake mechanism of a railway car, for the constant swaying and surging of the car in transit andduring switching operations, combnecl with the inertia of the handwheel, causes wear on the bearings of the shaft on which the wheel is mounted directly proportional to the weight of the wheel. Accordingly, because of the reduced weight of the present handwheel, there is a corresponding reduction in Wear on the bearings of the shaft on which the wheel is mounted, under conditions wherel the wheel is subjected to being laterally shifted as aforesaid. Moreover,

the` spokes I4, respectively, to further increase broken or fractured and, in any event, rendered unt for further service if subjected to a force required to bend the present wheel. Furthermore, loosening of a handwheel on its shaft is due largely to the same causes which produce wear on Therefore, because of the to become loose on its shaft is correspondingly reduced.

The wheel proper, A,fis of dished form crosssectionally and comprises a rim I0, a central disk-like portion II, a ring-like 'portion I2 between said rim I and said central disk-like portion II, spokes lI3 connecting said central disklikel portion II with 'said ring-like portion I2, and spokes I4 connecting said rim III with said ring-like .neriien l2.. l

The rim` I, the spokes I4 and the outer edge f ofthe ring-like portion I2 are formed by punch- Aaccomrnodating openings I5 in the wheel proper, and, during the operation of pressing the wheel proper rto shape, the metal surrounding tliese openings, i. e., the metal cornprising the inner edge of the rim IEB, the edges of the spokes Ill and the outer edge of the ringlike portion I2 is flanged 'outwardly as indicated @VW illlelebi; -imparting great strength to the inner edge portion of said rim Ill, to the spokes I4 and to the outer part of the ring-like portion I2. The outer edge portion of the rim I@ alsois flanged outwardly as indicated at II and this n anging, in conjunction ,with the outward iianging of the inner portion of said rim, imparts to the' latter substantially semi-circular cross-.sectional shape, so that the same "is quite stiff and rtrengnnd ie eemfnrrnble te ernen- Mereever, said rirn IIJ ispro/ided at spaced intervals with Series ef in.deninnnns'lIi` Wnieh erenrly facilitate obtaining a nrm gfrip thereon. l

The outer edge of the central disk-like portion I I), the spokes IIIy and the inner edge of the ringlilre Perdon I? nre .ferrned by nnnernng heres i9 in the Wheel nrener, and during the operation of pressing the wheel proper to shape, the metal surrounding these openings also is flanged out- `50 Wnrdlr ne indicated" er 2d, thereby imparting strength to the outer edge portion of the disklike portion II,`to the spokes I3 and to the inner edge portion of the ring-like portion |20.` In addition, the spokes I3,'Which preferably are straight and radiallydisposed as shown, may be and preferably are'stiifned and reinforced by ribsfZuI, extending longitudinally thereof and pressed outwardly therefrom as shown, these ribs preferably extending into the ring-like portion vI2 and into the 'disk-like portion I I.`

`While`the spokes I4 may be of any suitable type,

they preferably are of the spiral type and merge gradually into the rim I Il to insure against crampingof the fingers'when rotating the wheel to Moreover, the inner end porthe strength of the wheel. In any event, due to interposing the ring-like portion I2 between the rim I Il and the central disk-like portion of the wheel, it is practically impossible to employ a club for rotating the wheel. Moreover, the said ring-like portion I2 serves additionally as a guard preventing insertion of the hand through the wheel.

In the central disk-like portion I I of the wheel proper, centrally thereof, is formed an opening 22 of a size and shape to neatly accommodate the hub'B, thereby to provide for accurately centering said hub with respect to said Wheel proper. The hub is provided intermediate its ends with an external, continuous lateral flange 23v against which the central disk-like portion II of the wheel proper seats when the hub and the wheel proper are assembled by inserting the hub into the opening 22, and the hub and the wheel proper are rigidly united either by welding, riveting or otherwise suitably fastening the ange 23 and the central disk-like portion II together.

Through the hub is formed n preferably tapered Opening of Suitable' Cressfseetonal shape t0, aeeommodnte the eerrespendngly shaped end of the Shaft te which the wlreelie-to ne applied.

AIn some cases it Amaybe desirable to locate the .present .handy/,heel very Clone te the outer bearing of the shaft to which the wheel is applied, as, for example, in the use 0f the wheel on hand brakes of the general tyrey diselosed in Klasing Patent N e- 1,927 237, ne .in this Wayirtrnin and Wear en thehenring maybe materially re'- dueed.. VThis may be neeempliened neeerdine te the present invention and as'illustrated in Fig. 5

of the drawing by forming on o r suitably fastening tothe outer end of the operating shaft 24 of the brake @Hnge 25 Whhr in th'opeatve POS, tion of said shaft, is disposed closely adjacent to the enter bearing 2.6 nf Seid Shaft, and by rivetina welding er Otherwise, fastening the Central,

disk-like portion I I of the Wheel A directly to Said flnge- Withn'e fllriner Y the features and advantages ofthe invention will be vreadily apparent tothose skilled inthe art, and itw'ill,` o f course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minordetails of con- ,S'rnetien rnny be. resorted te, Without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope ofthe depended elnnr- I Claim: Y

handwheel comprising a wheel `proper of pressed Qrnetal including a central disk-like portion, a rim, a ring-like portion'between `said central disk-.like portion and, said rim, straight radial spokes connecting said disk-like and ring,- like'lportions, other spokes of substantially spiral form connecting said rim and said ring-likeportionfthel marginal parts of said v"rim and 4spokes, and lnf said ring-like and disk-'like portions being laterally flanged, the inner ends' 4of said spiral spokes "being alined ywith said straight radial spokes, andy reinforcing'ribs extending longitudinally along said straight radial spokes into said central disk-like portion and into said ring-like portion, said'reinf'orc'ing ribs being pressed from 5 said spokesvand 'from said disk-like and ring-like portions in the same direction assaid marginal rerenpnerr .rr is rriererrr rrrer 

